Summer Roadtrip: a Breakfast Club fanfic
by SuperWhoLandLocked
Summary: The summer before college, the Breakfast Club decides to take a road trip. See the crazy things that are bound to ensue. Rated T on the safe side. *Currently on Undetermined Hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

"A road trip? The summer before college, before everything changes, and you want to go on a road trip?" Andrew exclaimed as Bender finished proposing his idea. It was just the two of them; the girls were out shopping and Brian was finishing college prep. Bender nodded.

"Yeah. And that's why. Things a going to be different. You and Allison are getting married, Brian is going to some fancy law school, and I'm hoping I can work up the nerve to ask Claire to marry me. This summer is our last summer as free teenagers and may be our last summer together."

Andrew looked at him.

"You're going to ask Claire to marry you?" he asked. Bender looked at him.

"Out of everything I just said, that's the only thing you heard? But, yes, I'm going to ask her to marry me. I got the ring last week." Bender replied. Andrew grinned.

"So, that's the real reason for this trip, huh?" he teased. Bender rolled his eyes.

"No. Look, do you want to do this or not?"

"Yeah, sure. What's the worst thing that could happen, right?"

* * *

"Hey, Ali, Bender was talking about doing a summer roadtrip with the gang. And he's going to propose to Claire. You up for it?" Andrew asked as his fiancée cooked dinner. She stopped and looked at him.

"Did you say that John is proposing to Claire?" she asked. He nodded and she grinned, turning back to the stove.

"Roadtrip before real life starts sounds nice. What's the worse that could go wrong?"

* * *

Brian glanced out his window as something hard hit the pane. He did a double take when he realized who was outside. He opened the window and leaned out.

"What do you want, Bender?" he asked.

"We're going on a road trip Saturday. Better have your bags packed or I'm leaving you here." Bender replied, turning back to his truck.

"Bender, I can't leave. Mom's put me on lockdown until college starts."

"Be a rebel, Big Bri. See you Saturday." Bender told him before driving off. Brian sighed and shut the window.

"That man is impossible." he muttered and began packing.

* * *

"Cherry! I'm home!" Bender said as he walked into the apartment he shared with Claire. She appeared from their bedroom.

"Hey. How was your day with Andy?" she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

"Good. You know that roadtrip I've been wanting to take? Sporto agreed it was a good idea. He and Allison and Brian are all in."

"When are we leaving?"

"Saturday."

"Ok. Dinner's ready if you're hungry." she told him, walking into the kitchen. With a grin, he followed.

* * *

That is the first chapter of Summer Roadtrip: a Breakfast Club fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it. I already have the next three chapters written. I don't know how long this story is going to be. I'm going to go until my muse decides to quit.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Breakfast Club. That is the property of the amazing John Hughes, rest his soul.**

* * *

When Claire woke, Bender was already out of bed.

"Princess, get up. I know you're awake and we still have to pick up the other three. I told Sporto I'd be at his place by 9 and it's already 8:15." he called from the bathroom where she assumed he was packing things. There was a suitcase open on the floor next to her dresser, Bender's clothes already in it.

"No good morning kiss, John?" she asked, getting up from the bed. His head appeared in the doorway of the bathroom.

"I gave you a kiss when I woke up two hours ago. Now, get dressed." he told her.

"You're taking this seriously, aren't you? This is more than a summer roadtrip, isn't it?"

"Claire, get dressed." he said.

* * *

Andrew glanced at his watch as he and Allison stood outside their apartment.

"He better be here soon." he grumbled. Allison smiled and layed a hand on his arm. Two minutes later, Bender's truck pulled up. Andrew put their bags in the back and climbed into the truck after Allison.

"Hey, guys." Claire said from the front seat next to Bender, who glanced into the rearview.

"Are we good? Alright, let's hit Big Bri's and then the road."

* * *

"Brian Johnson, you are not going anywhere!" Mrs. Johnson yelled up the stairs to her son. Bender had pulled up five minutes ago and Claire had come to collect him. Brian jumped as something hit his window. He opened it and looked out. Bender and Andrew were standing there, Bender's truck idling in the street.

"Toss your bag and get down here. I'm not waiting all day." Bender said. Brian threw his duffle out the window and watched as Andrew took it to the truck.

"No climb out. I'm not catching you if you fall, though. Fair warning."

Five minutes later, Brian was in between the door and Andrew as Bender drove the truck down the road.

"So, where are we headed first?" Bender asked. Everybody stared at him and he started to laugh.

"Relax. Our final destination is Vegas. We'll find some places to stop on the way. This is our summer. I'm open to suggestions."

"Just drive until we find someplace we want to stop." Claire said. Bender nodded and slung an arm around her shoulders as they left Shermer.

* * *

That was chapter 2. They are finally out of Shermer and starting the roadtrip! Hope you'll stick around to see what happens next.


	3. Chapter 3

An hour later, everyone except for Allison and Bender were asleep.

"So, John, I heard you're planning a proposal during this trip." Allison said. Bender glanced at her in the rearview.

"Sporto can't keep his mouth shut, can he?" he asked.

"Cut him some slack, John. He's excited for you guys. Nobody expected you guys to make it through high-school, much less get married." she told him.

"That's real nice, Allison." he snorted.

"I did. Believe in you guys, I mean. I watched you during detention. You were hooked on every word she said. Nobody else noticed. Well, except for Brian when Claire corrected your author pronunciation. But, you two were constantly fighting after that, so he shrugged it off. Anyway, can I see it?"

"See what?"

"The ring, John. Can I see the ring?"

He nodded, reaching over to the glovebox, pulling out a velvet covered ring box and handing it to Allison. She opened it.

"Wow. John, it's beautiful. Simple, but beautiful. Is that the earring she gave you?" she said. He nodded.

"She made the other one into a necklace. So, you think she'll like it?" he asked.

"Like it? John, she'll love it. You did good." she replied, closing the lid on the single diamond, yellow gold band and passing it back to the man driving. He tucked it back into the glovebox and shut it. Allison yawned.

"Go to sleep, Allison. I'll wake everyone up when we get to Chicago." he told her. She nodded and rested her head on Andrew's shoulder, falling asleep almost instantly. The blissful peace only lasted thirty minutes before Brian was up.

"So, how long until we get there? Where exactly are we going? What are we going to do when we get there?" he asked.

"Johnson, you ask me one more fucking question and I swear I will throw you out of this vehicle. Got it?" Bender growled.

"Um, yep. I got it. No more questions." Brian stuttered.

"Play nice, John." Claire murmured. Bender threw a panicked glance to his girlfriend.

"How long have you been up, Princess?" he asked.

"Not long." she replied. He let out a barely audible sigh of relief.

"Hey somebody wake Sporto up. I'm getting some gas, then it's his turn to drive." Bender said, pulling into a gas station on the side of the road. Brian shook Andrew awake as Bender filled the tank.

"Where are we?" Andrew asked.

"Not sure. Bender says its your turn to drive." Brian replied. Andrew nodded and got out and into the drivers seat. Bender knocked on Claire's window and she rolled it down.

"You people want anything?" he asked. Everybody shook their head, so Bender got into the truck. Once everybody was settled, they were back on the road.

* * *

 **I do not own the Breakfast Club. That goes to the wonderful John Hughes, God have mercy on his soul.**

So, that was Chapter 3. I'm so excited to see where this goes. I actually have the next 5 and 1/2 chapters written and almost ready to post, but they need some refining first. Stick around to see what happens next. Let's just say Bender's father comes up and someone from his past(of my own invention) turns up.


	4. Chapter 4

Bender fell asleep shortly after they had resumed their trip. Andrew glanced at Claire.

"Why'd Bender want to do this?" he asked. She looked up from the book she was reading.

"He never actually said it was because of one thing. I think he's scared of losing everyone during college. He's worried that when everyone moves away, they'll move on, that they'll forget him. I hope he knows I won't. I won't leave him. Ever." she told him.

"We won't either. That Saturday changed all of our lives. We'll always stick together." Allison said. Andrew and Brian nodded their agreement.

"I'm glad. I don't know what either one of us would do if you guys moved away and forgot us."

"What are you going to do, Claire? I thought you wanted to leave Shermer. Visit Pairs."

Claire shrugged.

"I'll do whatever John wants to do. That's why my parents started fighting. They each wanted to do their own thing and neither of those things was raise a family. I told you all in detention. I'm nev going to be like my parents. I promised myself when my brother moved away that I was going to be better than my mom. And I will be." she replied.

"He's lucky to have you." Andrew said. She smiled, glancing at the still sleeping Bend.

"Did any of you ever meet his old man?" Brian asked. Allison and Claire shook their heads. Andrew nodded.

"Once. I didn't actually meet him. Bender had let one of his friends borrow his truck, so he didn't have a way to get around. It was about three months after we all met. We were all going to a movie. You had a ride and I think Allison had stayed over at Claire's and Mr. Standish was going to drive them over. Well, he called me and asked me to pick him up. He told me he'd be waiting outside. Well, when I got there, he wasn't outside. The movie was starting soon and it was about a thirty-minute drive. So I got out and rang the doorbell. I heard some yelling and then his mom answered the door. Bender was there soon after. He pushed past her and I saw his old man, behind his mom. He was sitting in the kitchen, smoking a cigar. He was watching Bender, this horrible grin on his face. Bender pushed me back and shut the door. He just walked to my car and didn't say a word. That grin kept me up for three nights after that, though. It was the creepiest, most evil grin I'd ever seen. After that, I told Bender he could crash at my place anytime he needed." he told Brian.

"He always kept me away from his house." Claire said.

"That's understandable. He wanted you away from all of it." Brian said. Claire nodded.

"The first night in our apartment, he couldn't sleep. He'd told me before that he barely slept, because he was scared his old man would come in. He messed him up so bad. With his dad at home and Vernon at school, I'm surprised he hadn't made a run for it. So, the night he couldn't sleep, we enter out. It became tradition. If he'd had a nightmare, or I was restless, we'd go out." she told them.

"Best times of my life." Bender said from beside her.

"How long have you been listening? You weren't even asleep that long!" Claire told him. He looked at her.

"Kinda hard to sleep with you four yammering all the time." he replied, wrapping an arm around her and kissing the top of her head. Andrew and Allison shared a grin.

"So, how far until Chicago?" Bender asked, grinning as Brian looked at him, incredulous.

"Um, about another eight hours. We should get the around 7-ish." Andrew replied.

"We should stop for lunch." Claire suggested. The others four agreed and Andrew began to look for a diner.

* * *

 **These characters do not belong to me. They belong to the amazingly talented John Hughes, may he rest in peace.**


	5. Chapter 5

Andrew drove for a little longer until Allison pointed out a small diner. It looked fairly unbusy and the others agreed on it. So, he pulled Bender's truck into the parking lot and parked. Once everyone was out, Bender put all their bags into the front and locked the door.

"Why'd you do that?" Andrew asked.

"Because, Sporto, I don't want some whack job taking off with my clothes. Are we ready yet? I'm fucking starving." Bender replied, walking towards the diner. Andrew rolled his eyes, but followed him with the rest of the group behind him.

"Choose a booth. I'll be with ya in a moment." the waitress said from behind the counter. Bender glanced around the almost empty diner before choosing the single table in the back. They had been sitting there for a couple of minutes when the waitress walked up. She looked around at the group, before glancing at Bender. Her lips twisted into a smile.

"Well, look at that. John Bender has come back," she said, turning to the man flipping burgers, "Hey, Joe! Johnny's back!" Joe turned around.

"Well, so he has, Marge. How's life, boy?" he asked. Bender shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his friends and girlfriend stared at him.

"Fine. Thanks for asking, Joe." he finally replied.

"Good to hear. Food's on the house." Joe said. The group ordered and Marge handed it off to Joe before pulling up a chair to the table.

"So, I assume you finally got out of there, John." she said. Bender nodded once and she turned to the rest of the group.

"I assume you all know of his home life? Joh stumbled in here a few years ago. Apparently he had been at some party the day before and had gotten back to his house late. His old man-"

"Marge, stop." Bender cut in. They all turned back to look at him. His hands were clenched at the table and his breath was fast. Marge looked at him and then back at the group.

"When he stumbled in, he was a bloody mess." she continued. Bender shot up from his seat.

"I need a smoke." he muttered, before going outside.

"He doesn't smoke anymore." Claire whispered. At a reassuring nod from Andrew, she followed Bender out. She found him leaning against the truck, staring at the road. He didn't acknowledge her when she leaned beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He shook his head, rubbing a shaking hand over his face.

"I was 15. Two weeks from my 16th birthday. Tom, the only friend I had at the time, had taken me out to celebrate. I didn't expect the party to go so long. I didn't get back to my place until about 3 o'clock the next morning. My old man was waiting for me. I didn't even try to stop him. When it was over and he had stumbled back into the bedroom, I grabbed all the cash I had and made a break for it. I called Tom and asked him to drive me somewhere until he ran outta gas. We stopped here with just enough left to get him gas to return home. He told me he'd be back in an hour, I told him not to bother because I wasn't going back. He understood. Didn't like it, but he understood. So, there I was. 15 with less than 20 bucks. So, I walked in. The place was empty and Joe and Marge were cleaning up. They didn't ask questions, just gave me some food, told me I could clean up in the bathroom and sleep in the back room. When I woke up the next day, I realized what is done. I overheard Joe talking about having to call the police, send me to foster care. I wasn't going to foster care. At least at home, if you could call it that, I knew what was waiting. So I hitchhiker back to Shermer. Or at least I tried. I'd gone barely two miles down the road whe Joe pulled up in his truck. I told him I had to go back. He didn't want me to, even offered me a job at the diner, but I was adamant. So, he drive me home. And the next thing I remembered after walking through the front door was waking up on the living room floor." he told her.

"God, I hate him." she said. He looked at her.

"Um, who?" he asked.

"Your old man. I hate him so much. He hurt you, John. And all I can think about is how you were suffering, alone. How none of us believed you in detention. How much shit you had to out up with." she told him. A look of shock came over his face and he pulled her into a kiss.

"I fucking love you, Cherry." he whispered as they broke apart. She smiled and kissed him again.

"I love you too, John. Are you ready to go back in? I think your burger is cold and my milkshake is melted."

He nodded and they turned to go back in.

* * *

 **Well, that is chapter five. A warning for the next chapter, it is shorter than this one. It's about half the length of this one. I don't own the Breakfast Club. It belongs to the wonderful John Hughes, God rest his soul.**


	6. Chapter 6

When they got back in, the other three were halfway through their meal.

"Marge said she'd bring your food out when you returned." Brian said. Bender nodded and sat down. A moment later, Marge was serving their food.

"You're lucky to have her." she told him, nodding to Claire, who blushed.

"Don't I know it." Bender replied. Marge smiled and went to tend to the other diners. After she had left, Allison began to chuckle. When everyone looked at her, she pointed to the wall behind Bender and Claire. The two turned around and stared.

"Well, that describes you both perfectly." Andrew laughed. The sign on the wall behind the couple read "Every girl wants a bad boy who will be good just for her and every bad boy wants a good girl who will be bad just for him." Bender turned to look at Claire, who was still looking at the sign. He shrugged.

"What can I say? Seems pretty accurate to me, doesn't it, Cherry?" he told her. She nodded, a grin stealing at her lips. Bender grinned in reply and began to chow down on his food. Claire ate just as quickly. Soon, they were all finshed and Marge had come over to talk again. Bender's past wasn't touched upon again. As the conversation died down, Andrew glanced at the clock on the wall, and then double checked his watch.

"Guys, we should probably get going. We've been here for an hour." he said. Everyone turned to the clock in surprise.

"Yeah, it's time to go." Bender agreed, pulling out a ten from his wallet and throwing it in the table. He looked up to find everyone staring at him.

"What? I've been sending them 10 percent of everything I make for the past three years. Right now, this is all I have on me." he said. Claire smiled and everybody got up. They made their way to the door, calling out a goodbye to Joe and Marge. When they arrived back at the truck, Bender moved the bags back and got into the drivers seat.

"Let's go! We're losing daylight!" he called. They piled back into the truck and Bender took off down the road.

"By my calculations, with the adjusted time, we should arrive in Chicago by 9 o'clock." Brian said from the back. Bender nodded.

"Alright, that gives us 8 hours on the road. And I'm not stopping seventeen times for people to go to the bathroom," he said, "We'll stop in a couple hours."

Claire nodded, pulling out the book she had brought. The other three in the back settled into the seats, getting comfortable for the long trip ahead of them.

* * *

 **There was chapter six. Chapter seven has a lot of cussing(Claire, Allison, and Brian do something Bender doesn't exactly agree with). It's also the longest chapter yet. They don't reach Chicago until chapter eight, and they only stay there for a night before heading to Colorado, for a reason you will find out about in chapter 8. Once they get to Colorado, they stay there for a couple of days before heading to Vegas. Once they reach Vegas, they'll be there for a couple of weeks, but I'll time jump to some things. Also, because this story was brought on by a couple of other ideas for a different story, I've come up with a timeline that I will post in the next chapter. The story titles that are/will be in production will be bold, while the rest of the timeline will be regular. There are a couple OC's that aren't mentioned at all in the story, because they are part of the other stories and not relevant to this story. I apologize for the super long author's note, and if you made it all the way through, Congrats!**


	7. Chapter 7

As promised, the timeline. Note: Anything past 1987 are stories that are in progress and have not been posted yet. Story titles are in bold, timeline info is in regular, and Short Story titles are in bold italics. Dates are also in italics. So, here is the timeline.

 _1985:_ Saturday detention on _March 24._ Breakfast Club is formed. John, Claire, Andrew are 17. Brian, Allison are 16.

 _1986:_ John, Claire, Andrew graduate. Andrew and Allison get engaged. John moves in with Claire.

 _1987:_ Brian, Allison graduate. **Summer Roadtrip** starts.

 _1988:_ John opens a garage with Andrew. ( _ **The Criminal and the Sporto's Garage**_ ). Both couples married a year. Brian is at law school.

 _1989:_ Nicole Anne Bender born. (May _25-_ _ **The Newest Member of the Breakfast Club**_ ). John faces his parents- **Facing the Past**.

 _1990:_ Robert Andrew Clarke born. ( _June 28-_ _ **The Son of the Breakfast Club**_ ). Brian meets Evelyn Raskins. ( _ **Five Years Waiting**_ ). Vernon showdown- **Five Years Down the Road**.

 _1991:_ Brian marries Evelyn. ( _ **Summer Wedding**_ ). Sandra Ellen Johnson born. ( _December 18-_ _ **The Breakfast Club's Christmas Baby**_ ).

 _2006:_ Nicole turns 17. Robert turns 16. Sandra turns 15. (All in highschool: Junior, Sophmore, and Freshman respectively). All get Saturday detention on _March 24_. Meet Dylan Ross(18-Senior) and Steven James(17-Junior). Become **Breakfast Club: Second Generation**.

And now, to Chapter 7!

* * *

Two hours later, Bender pulled into a rest stop. He glanced at the four other occupants, who were sleeping, again. Sighing, he pulled out of the rest stop.

"No use stopping if they're all asleep." he muttered as he turned the radio on. He hummed softly to the song that was playing. He took another glance at the sleeping four and smiled briefly.

* * *

Andrew woke to the radio playing. He opened his eyes and sat up, being careful not to disturb Allson. Bender's eyes snapped to the rear view mirror as he stopped singing.

"Afternoon, Sporto. And how was your nap?" he asked.

"Fine, Bender. Look, I wanted to apologize for razzing you about proposing to Claire." the former wrestler said. Bender glanced at Claire and then back to Andrew.

"You want to quiet down, Sporto? She's a light sleeper, you know." he replied.

"Have it your way, Bender. I just want you to know that I think you two deserve each other."

"Is that supposed to mean something, Amdrew?"

"If that's the way you want to interpret it, John, then sure!"

"Seriously, you two? I thought we were over the whole bickearring thing." Allison grumbled, "Besides, you two keep yelling, you're going to wake Claire up."

Andrew looked at her.

"I was trying to apologize to this asshole and he shut me down!" he told her.

"You wanna go at it, Sporto? Cause I'll pull over and we'll go." Bender said.

"Go ahead, asshole. I could take you. I did last time, remembers?"

"For crying out loud! Fine! Pull the car over and go at it. While you two are busy knocking each other down, I think thlove rest of us will hop a bus to Chicago!" Allison said. Claire raised her head, blinking sleepily.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Your boyfriend is being an asshole." Andrew said.

"That's it." Bender said, pulling the car over, "Let's go, Sporto!" They both got out of the car, the other three, Brian now awake as well, following.

"Will you two cut it out? You're acting like children!" Claire exclaimed. She threw her hands up in the air as the two 19 year olds rushed each other. She walked to the back of the truck and pulled out her suitcase.

"If you want to continue, I will walk the rest of the way to Chicago. And seeing as this suitcase has your clothes too, you'll be stuck with no clothes, John!" she said. When they showed no signs of stopping, or even listening, she started walking down the highway. Allison and Brian followed her.

"Idiots! The pair of them! What were they even fighting about anyway?" she asked the two beside her. Brian shrugged.

"I was sleeping." he said.

"Andy was apologizing for something and you know how John is about apologies. Andy thought he shut him down, so they started bickering." Allison said. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Idiots. Why'd we even fall in love with those two?" she said.

"Because we know that no matter how stupid they are, they're the best thing for us." Allison replied.

"Hey, do you two know how long it will take to walk to Chicago? More than 6 hours, that's for sure. Why didn't we just leave them stranded and taken the truck?" Brian asked.

"Don't worry, Brian. Soon, John and Andrew will stop fighting long enough to realize we're gone and they'll come get us. Until then, we walk."

* * *

"All I was trying to do was apologize!"

"Yeah, and your would have woken up Claire. And, surprise, Sporto, an eengagement proposal is supposed to be a fucking secret!"

"Yeah, well-wait."

"What now, Sporto?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit quiet to you? A little too quiet?" Andrew asked. Bender looked behind him, toward the truck, taking in the empty seats.

"Fuck. Get into the fucking truck, Sporto." he said, running the the drivers seat. He took off down the highway, eyes scanning the side of the road.

"There! Up there!" Andrew exclaimed, pointing down the road. Bender pulled over and got out, stalking towards the group.

What the actual fucking hell, Queenie?" he shouted. Claire whirled around.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about? The fact that you decided to fight with one of your best friends over your stupid fucking ego and I decided to continue the road trip that you wanted?" she replied.

"Oh, good grief." Allison mumbled, ignored by the arguing coulple. Brian nodded in commiseration.

"You walked off on the side of a fucking highway. With two of the most least scariest fucking people, on a highway, in the middle of fucking nowhere! That's what I'm fucking talking about! You could have been killed, or worse, Cherry, and I am not going to to take that lightly. Now get into the fucking truck so we can get to Chicago before somebody ends up dead."

"I don't have to listen to you! You aren't my father, John."

"OK. Enough. I did not decide to go on this trip just to listen to a bunch of fighting. So, let's all get back into the fucking truck and just get to Chicago, alright?" Brian shouted, throwing his bag back into the truck bed. Everybody turned to stare at him.

"What? I'm sick of the fighting." he told them. Bender turned back to Claire.

"This conversation is not over." he told h as he got back into the truck. She glared at him.

"You bet your ass it isn't." she growled, getting in on the opposite side. Allison huffed and elbowed Andrew as he got in after Brian. He looked at her, confused.

"This is all your doing. If you hadn't riled him up... How's he supposed to you-know-what now?" she whispered, low enough Claire, who was glaring out the window, couldn't hear.

* * *

 **Chapter seven. There it is. Next chapter they're in Chicago, Claire and Bender have another fight, where he says something incredibly stupid, and Claire and Allison get some girl time.**


	8. Chapter 8

Six hours later, Bender pulled into a motel parking lot.

"Get up. We're here. How many rooms are we getting?" he said, waking the other four up.

"Three rooms, unless Brian wants to bunk with one of us?" Andrew asked, looking at Brian, who quickly shook his head.

"Oh no. I'm not going to get into it with either one of you crazy couples. I will be sleeping quite peacefully in my own bed in my own room." Brian replied. Blender nodded and walked into the lobby to get their rooms. When he walked back out, he handed a key to Allison and one to Brian.

"Alli, you and Sporto are in room 215. Brian, you're in rooms 216. Cherry and I are in room 214." he said, grabbing his bag from the back and walking towards his room. Claire followed him. The other three grabbed their things and made their way to their own rooms.

* * *

Allison sighed heavily as Andrew shut the door and sat on the bed, his head in his hands.

"I screwed them up, didn't I? They haven't had a blowout argument like that since they started dating. I shouldn't have pushed him, should I?" he said.

"Andy, yes. It was partially your fault. But, it was also bound to happen sooner or later on this trip. Bender is freaking out because he wants to propose, but doesn't know how and he's scared, though he'll never admit it. Claire is stressing because she can sense Bender is stressing, although I think there is something else at the root of that problem. But, it's not our fight. All we can do is support them through it." she told her fiancé. They both quieted as they heard the door to Claire and Bender's room open and shut.

* * *

"So, Princess. What exactly was that back there? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" Bender asked. Claire sighed.

"John, I'm tired, I've been in the car almost all day and right now, I'd just like to go to sleep. I don't want to do this at this moment." she said.

"No. Claire, we will do this right now. Tell me why you decided it was such a good idea to traipse down a highway in the middle of nowhere."

"You were acting like a two year old! All I was trying to do was continue this stupid fucking roadtrip that _you_ wanted to take."

"Stupid roadtrip? Did you even want to come on this trip, Claire? Because when I mentioned it two fucking months ago, you were excited. So, what fucking changed, Claire?"

"Nothing. Nothing changed, John."

"Bullshit. Obviously something changed, Princess."

"John, enough! I walked away because you let your ego control you. I wanted to finish something that we started with our friends. Something you and Andrew almost fucked up. So, for tonight John, I'm done talking. I'm going to bed." she said, changing into her pajamas and turning towards the bed.

"No. This is more than just some stupid fight with Sporto. We fight almost monthly. Hell, he gets a kick out of it. But, that is not the reason you decided to wand off and then chew my head off. So, there's something else. Or is it some _one_ else? You've been visiting your parents a lot recently. And last I checked, that frat boy, Ben was staying there. Is that it, Claire? Are you using me for the danger and excitement and fucking Ben for the normal life your parents always wanted for their precious little Queenie? Ar you cheating on me?" he snarled. There was a resounding smack as she left a red handprint on his cheek.

" **Fuck. You.** I wouldn't dream of cheating on you. One guy, one girl, remember?" she said, her voice hard. She opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind her. There was a moment of silence. Bender rubbed his cheek.

"Fuck."

* * *

Andrew stared at Allison in shock.

"Has he lost it? Claire would never cheat on him. Does he really believe that?" he asked softly. Allison shrugged, peeking out the window.

"She's in the truck. I'm going to go talk to her. You talk to John, okay?" she said. And with that, she walked out.

* * *

Claire jumped as a knock came on the window. She looked up and saw Allison. She gave a brief smile and opened the door so Allison could sit down.

"He thinks I'm cheating on him!" the redhead cried.

"Claire, I'm sure he doesn't really believe that. He was just angry. I'm not justifying what he said, but you know how he deals with emotions. He pushes people away, including the ones he loves. Now, insinuating you would ever be unfaithful was horribly wrong, but remember, John ha never liked the life you came from and he thinks he isn't good enough for you."

Claire wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Allison.

"Want to hear the real reason I was so angry? The real reason I've been spending so much time at my parents?"

Allison nodded and Claire took a deep breath.

"I just found out my brother has a deadly illness. He says the doctors don't give him more than a month, two tops, to live. When I told him I'd skip the roadtrip to come visit me, he told me not to be silly and to go. So, I did, hoping it would distract me enough. But, when Bender started fighting, I wasn't distracted anymore. I needed the roadtrip to continue, I needed the distraction to continue."

"God, Claire. I'm so sorry."

"That's not even the worst part. I've been at my parents so often because they haven't talked to Phillip since he left. And now, even though, he probably won't survive, they still won't talk to him. He's got a wife, who's eight months pregnant with their first child. I hate my parents. I just wish they would all get along. And I don't want my brother to die." she said, starting to cry again. Allison pulled her into a hug, hoping Andrew was also getting somewhere with Bender.

* * *

So, there was chapter eight. Hope you liked it. Claire's brother wasn't even supposed to be in this story originally, but my muse decided she liked him. As for Bender, well...he's got some apologizing to o. Let's hope Andrew can get him to realize that, although I think he knows already...


	9. Chapter 9

Andrew knocked on the door to 214.

"Bender? Are you okay, man? How are you doing?" he asked. The door opened to reveal a very not okay Bender.

"Sporto, I just accused my girlfriend of two and a half years of cheating on me, when it is very obvious that she never would. So, how do you think I'm doing?" the 19 year old answered.

"Well, can I come in?" Andrew questioned.

"Whatever, Sporto." Bender replied, walking further into the hotel room.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Bender gave him a look that clearly said "Back off". Andrew just nodded and sat down in one of the chairs, Bender eventually coming to sit next to him. There was a moment of silence before the former criminal began to talk.

"We started our relationship for two reasons. One, she could get back at her parents, and two, we wanted to see how far we could push. Well, it sure pissed her parents off and for a while, I thought we'd pushed too far. But, somehow, we both managed to make it work. It was like something had changed and we wanted this to work because we wanted it. It wasn't about getting back at her parents, or seeing how long the Princess could stand the Criminal. We fell in love. I fell hard, too. Now, after that shitty stunt I just pulled, I don't know if we'll make it through this one. We've already had some tough times; hell, our relationship started out tough, but we always managed to pull through. And, now, I'm so fucking terrified I screwed this up, just like her parents knew would happen, just like my old man said I would. She'd never cheat on me. Hell, if anybody was to cheat in this relationship, it'd be me!" he threw a dirty glare at the former wrestler, who looked at him, "Not that I have or ever will, Sporto. I'm just saying. I really messed up this time, didn't I?" Bender shared, his eyes showing how terrified he really was of having screwed up the best thing that had happened to him.

"Well, yeah. To put it bluntly, you royally fucked up. Do I think she'll forgive you? Probably. Because she knows you. I think, if you apologize, and I mean really apologize, not play it off like you normally do, and maybe get around to proposing to her at some point, she'll forgive you. And I guess no more stupid fights, but that's on both of us. Allison is mad too. She brushed it off in the car and in the hotel, but I know her. I know the little things she does when she's angry at me. So, the only thing I can tell you to do is fix it. Fix the mistake you made." Andrew suggested.

"Speaking of your fiancée, where is she?" Bender asked. Andrew gave him a look that said "You're deflecting." Bender just shrugged and repeated his question. Andrew sighed. He knew Bender wouldn't change over the course of five minutes.

"In your truck, talking to Claire, She was headed out there while I was trying to decide if I should risk getting my head chewed off."

"Think Claire will slap me again if I go out there?"

The former wrestler shrugged as a knock sounded on the door. Andrew got up and opened it to reveal Allison and Claire.

"Andrew, these two need to talk. But I need to speak to John first." Allison said. Andrew nodded and the two girls stepped into the room. Bends walked over as Claire went to sit on the bed. Allison passed the velvet covers ring box into his hand and stared at him.

"Ask her, you dumbo." she muttered. Bender nodded and she pulled Andrew from the room, shutting the door behind them. He turned around to face his girlfriend, who was staring at him.

"John, I-" she stopped as he held up a hand, shaking his head.

"No. I need to do this first and you have no reason to be apologizing, for anything. I'm the one who is sorry. For the fight, for even thinking that you would ever cheat on me, because I know you never would. I'm so sorry. And you were right, this morning. God, was it really only this morning? This isn't just another road trip to me. I've been planning something for a while now, but I haven't been able to do it the way I want, or find the right time. And now, it realize that there never will be a right time if I kept waiting for it. I have to make the right time. And now, now is the right time." he said, coming over to sit on the bed beside her. She looked at him, confused.

"John, I don't understand what you're trying to say." she whispered. He gave a little smile.

"I gues, what I'm trying to say, is I can't spend the rest of my life without you. So, Claire Standish, will you marry me?" he said. She gave a little gasp as he revealed the little ring box and opened it. She looked up to find him watching her, eyes searching her face. With a small smile, akin to the one he had just given, she nodded. He grinned, a full grin that stretched across his face, and slipped the ring on her finger. She studied it, then looked up at him in surprise, her hand going to the necklace that step at the bottom of her throat.

"John, is that the earring I gave you?" she asked, her throat suddenly tight. He nodded. She laughed, giving him a kiss.

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you, too. Now, tell me what you were going to say."

"You were also right. There is a reason I've been the way I have been. Before you came home last night, Phillip called. He told me he's dying. Gina's eight months preganant and he said he'll be lucky to see the birth. I told him I'd skip out on the road trip and go down to help him, but he made me promise I would go. He knows what the summer before your friends leave for college feels like. But, how am I supposed to have fun, knowing that my only brother, the only family member I still love, is dying?" she told him. He looked at her in surprise.

"He's dying? God, Claire. Look, we'll drive to Colorado tomorrow, okay? We can make a stop at his place before we head to Vegas and as it is part of the road trip, he can't say that you didn't go, can he? Hell, maybe we'll even get married there. You always said you wanted Phillip to walk you down the aisle. So, now, he can." he told her. She smiled.

"We've only been engaged for five minutes and we're talking about getting married tomorrow or the day after. But, I would love if Phillip could walk me down the aisle. Thank you, John. You don't know how much this means to me." He pulled her to him and kissed her.

"I'd do anything for you, Sweets."

* * *

 **So, there was chapter nine. I calculated everything out and it looks as if, crossing my fingers, I can get at least 20 chapters out of this story. Maybe more if I split it up a bit more. I apologize if Bender seems a bit OOC in the last half of this chapter, but given that he's a bad boy and doesn't really do touchy-feely in the movie, I had to take some liberties. So, forgive me. I'm working on the 12th chapter and I want to get that finished before I post chapter ten, only because if I feel like Im posting too much without having enough written ahead of time, I tend to slack off(apologies to my Aftermath readers), and not update. So, the next update may come in a couple days, or it may be tonight, depending on how long I can get away with sitting down and just writing. So, be on the lookout!**


	10. 11

Hey readers!

I was wondering if any of you still wanted to read 'Summer Roadtrip:A Breakfast Club fanfic". I'mm just having a serious drought of any inspiration for the story, but if you people still want to read it, I will continue it.

Just let me know in the comments!

 **WHAT FOLLOWS HAS ALREADY BEEN POSTED AS A CHAPTER. THIS IS TO MAKE SURE I DON'T GET FLAGGED.**

When Claire woke, Bender was already out of bed.

"Princess, get up. I know you're awake and we still have to pick up the other three. I told Sporto I'd be at his place by 9 and it's already 8:15." he called from the bathroom where she assumed he was packing things. There was a suitcase open on the floor next to her dresser, Bender's clothes already in it.

"No good morning kiss, John?" she asked, getting up from the bed. His head appeared in the doorway of the bathroom.

"I gave you a kiss when I woke up two hours ago. Now, get dressed." he told her.

"You're taking this seriously, aren't you? This is more than a summer roadtrip, isn't it?"

"Claire, get dressed." he said.

* * *

Andrew glanced at his watch as he and Allison stood outside their apartment.

"He better be here soon." he grumbled. Allison smiled and layed a hand on his arm. Two minutes later, Bender's truck pulled up. Andrew put their bags in the back and climbed into the truck after Allison.

"Hey, guys." Claire said from the front seat next to Bender, who glanced into the rearview.

"Are we good? Alright, let's hit Big Bri's and then the road."

* * *

"Brian Johnson, you are not going anywhere!" Mrs. Johnson yelled up the stairs to her son. Bender had pulled up five minutes ago and Claire had come to collect him. Brian jumped as something hit his window. He opened it and looked out. Bender and Andrew were standing there, Bender's truck idling in the street.

"Toss your bag and get down here. I'm not waiting all day." Bender said. Brian threw his duffle out the window and watched as Andrew took it to the truck.

"No climb out. I'm not catching you if you fall, though. Fair warning."

Five minutes later, Brian was in between the door and Andrew as Bender drove the truck down the road.

"So, where are we headed first?" Bender asked. Everybody stared at him and he started to laugh.

"Relax. Our final destination is Vegas. We'll find some places to stop on the way. This is our summer. I'm open to suggestions."

"Just drive until we find someplace we want to stop." Claire said. Bender nodded and slung an arm around her shoulders as they left Shermer.

* * *

That was chapter 2. They are finally out of Shermer and starting the roadtrip! Hope you'll stick around to see what happens next.


	11. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for staying with me even though I update sporadically and went on a very long hiatus. I'm finally getting some creative juices flowing again, so here's hoping it lasts! Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Bender woke them all up early the next morning. He woke Claire quietly, gently shaking her shoulder until she opened her eyes with a yawn. The others were less fortunate. At 6:45 sharp, Bender banged on their doors, first Andrew and Allison and then Brian.

"Get up! We are heading to Colorado next and I would like to get there before midnight!" he called through the door. An hour and half and a small breakfast later, they were back on the road.

'Why are we heading to Colorado?" Allison asked.

"We are heading to Claire's brother's house. It's a surprise. Oh, and Claire and I are getting married tomorrow. So, it's also the day before my wedding." Bender said cheerfully as they exited Chicago.

"Uh, Bender? Didnt you just get engaged yesterday?" Andrew asked. Brian looked up from the textbook in his lap.

"You got engaged last night?" he asked. Claire nodded.

"Yes, we did get engaged last night. The rrason we are having the wedding tomorrow is so my brother can walk me down the aisle. He'sthe only family I have left that I care about." she said.

"Besides, we dated for two and a half years. Is it really necessary to add another six to twelve months for an engagement?" Bender added. Andrew nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. How long to get to Colorado?"

"A little over 15 hours, including rest breaks." Bender replied, turning to Claire, "I hope they don't go to bed early, cause we most likely won't get there until after 10."

"I don't think he does. When I came to visit a couple years ago, we'd stay up past midnight playing games." his fiancée replied. Bender nodded.

"Let's go then."

* * *

Three hours later and Bender looked liked he was going to murder someone.

"I swear if you don't stop arguing, I'm leaving all of you on the side of the road. Who argues over a textbook anyway? That book goes out to thousands of people. I'm pretty sure it's right and all of you are wrong." he snapped.

"It wasn't over the textbook, per say. It was more over an example case in the textbook." Brian replied. Bender rolled his eyes.

"Of course it is. And what exactly is this example case about?"

"Um, well, two cousins look exactly alike. One killed a man and the other didn't. But, there's a witness who claims she saw the innocent cousin kill the man. The innocent cousin claims he was nowhere near the scene of the crime and that the guilty cousin told him he was fighting with the dead man. The innocent cousin even pulled phone records to prove it. So, the innocent cousin says he'll testify against the guilty cousin. But, there's a twist." Brian explained.

"What's the twist?"

"Well, it appears that the guilty cousin was found dead in his hotel room two days before the trial." Andrew said.

"Ah. This is real simple. The guilty cousin killed the man and the innocent cousin killed the guilty cousin, therefore making _him_ the guilty cousin. See, the formerly innocent cousin knew the man the formerly alive cousin killed. So, in revenge, the guy offed his cousin." Bender said, smirking.

"What about the witness?" Allison asked.

"She was part of the whole scheme to kill the formerly alive cousin. The newly guilty cousin was probably banging her." he replied, smiling at the silence that fell.

"What? What just happened?" Claire asked. Bender glanced over, raising an eyebrow.

"I just solved the case that has been giving me a headache for the past three hours. Now, please, do continue the shocked silence." he retorted.

"Bender, your solution doesn't even make sense." Brian exclaimed.

"Sure it does. The cousin who is dead killed the man. The dead man was the witness's husband. The witness is banging the cousin who was believed innocent. He killed his cousin because he wanted to be the one to off the husband of the witness, who he was banging. Both cousins are guilty, two men are dead, and a cheating wife and her lover are thrown in jail. Sounds like a conspiracy to me." Bender replied with a shrug.

"But-" "No buts. One more single word about the damn case and I throw it out the window."

Brian closed his mouth and reopened the textbook, his eyes growing wide. "Holy shit, Bender was right."

Everybody, including Bender, stared at him.

"Repeat that?" Andrew said.

"Bender was right. Both cousins were guilty of murder and the 'witness' was having an affair with one of them" Brian repeated. Bender grinned.

"Don't doubt my amazing talent."

* * *

Four hours later, Bender pulled into the parking lot of a rundown diner. He watched as the other four occupants exited the truck. Claire turned back to him with worried eyes.

"Are you coming in?" she asked. He gave her a grin and shook his head.

"I'm gonna catch some sleep. And watch the truck." he told her.

"How can you watch the truck if you're asleep?" she asked, a grin pulling at her lips.

"I've got amazing hearing. Go eat lunch, Princess. I'll still be here when you return, I promise. Just bring me back a cup of coffee when you guys finish."

She nodded and left, quickly catching up to their little group. When they piled back into the truck thirty minutes later, he was awoken by Claire handing him a paper bag and a cup of coffee.

"It's a cheeseburger." she told him in reply to his questioning glance. With a nod, he unwrapped it and dug in as Andrew pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

 **I"M BACK! I'm not entirely sure about this chapter. This was actually longer, but it turned out the be TOO long, so I cut it down and added it to the next chapter. The 'case' that causes so much contention is actually something my sister came up with when we were joking around a while ago. She was trying to come up with 'the most outrageous case where everyone is in the wrong'. I think she succeeded.**


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